He was accused of “fraud,” a charge now liberally used against Christian leaders who refuse to join the government-controlled Three Self Church.
by Wang Zhipeng
In 2023, “Bitter Winter” reported on the arrest and prosecution of Pastor Wan Changchun of Living Stone Reformed Church, a house church in Bengbu, Anhui, and several co-workers.
On March 27, 2025, Pastor Wan was sentenced to five years in prison. Three co-workers were sentenced to jail terms between two and two and a half years but the sentences were suspended, while Wan remains in prison.
In April 2023, Bitter Winter reported that on April 11 Pastor Wang Changchun was arrested while he was traveling in Lijiang, Yunnan, and taken back to the prison of his home city of Bengbu.
Wang is the popular pastor of Bengbu Living Stone Reformed Church and a well-known dissident. In 2018, he was one of the house church leaders who signed the statement against the repressive 2017 Regulation on Religious Affairs drafted by Pastor Wang Yi of Chengdu’s Early Rain Covenant Church, later sentenced in 2019 to nine years in jail.
The original charge of “illegal business operations” was amended later in 2023 to “fraud,” a crime that carries heavier penalties.
In fact, all financial operations of the Living Stone Reformed Church are recorded and approved by the members. The charge of “fraud” is now frequently used for any activity of churches not part of the government-controlled Three Self Church, claiming they are illegal and thus not authorized to collect money for any purpose.
Source: BITTER WINTER
